7 Quick Takes Friday (volume 6)

Hokey smokes, how time flies when you're having fun (or 49 years old and mother to a 4 year-old). Yes, I just shared my age. I feel it, especially first thing in the morning after being awakened at 2am because a certain someone has decided that she's thirsty. Anyhoo, I started this through visiting ConversionDiary.com, a nifty blog that I enjoy many other days other than Friday. After reading my 7 Quick Takes, go check it out, 'k? If not, I'll let my Dudette come stay with you a few nights.

This is my bullwhip. Everyone has one, don't they? I actually knew how to crack this whip pretty darn well back in the early '90s. No one told me that that it's a skill that fades without practice. I found that out when Dudette got a McDonald's toy that was a whip like Indiana Jones uses. I dug through boxes to find my bullwhip, went out in the back yard (made her stay in the house....I'm dumb but not crazy) and gave it a few cracks. On the third try it caught me just on the cheekbone under my eye. Luckily, it was a lame crack and barely stung. The bullwhip's been put away again.

Ya'll know who Jeff Foxworthy is and what his "you might be a redneck" jokes are, right? I moved to the south 15 years ago and am surprised at how many of his redneck jokes are really true. I've even come up with one of my own. Ready? If the couch on your front porch is the spare bedroom....you might be a redneck.  Southerners; am I wrong on this one?

Once in a while someone comments on my "great" photography. I thought I'd let you see what I use. It's either that or my phone (which is what I used to take a picture of the camera). I got the camera free when we bought a printer/scanner/copier many years ago. I think it's as big and heavy as some carry-on luggage. So, my photographs may get lucky, but they're not great, trust me (honestly, I miss using my Olympus OM-1 a LOT).

Yesterday was Veteran's Day. The day has a different meaning for me than it does for a lot of people in this country. It's because of those amazing men and women who fought in WWII that I'm alive. Literally. My father was a teenager in France and my mother a young child in Belgium during that time. My mom's mom spent time in a concentration camp but a guard left the door open for her and she escaped. Mom's family hid American soldiers in their basement as they worked their way across Belgium. My dad's birthday is on June 26. D-Day was on June 6. That event 20 days before Dad's birthday kept him from being shipped to a German work camp, which is what they did with the French boys when they hit a certain age.

If it hadn't been for the Allied forces and all those amazing American soldiers willing to fight for freedom (not just American freedom), a beautiful red-headed student would have never met a dashing teacher when she left Belgium for college in France, the two wouldn't have fallen in love and gotten married and my siblings and I wouldn't be.  So, to all the soldiers out there; thank you. From the bottom of my heart; thank you.

A few mornings ago we had pancakes (and yes, these were made out of the big yellow box; it's family preference). There were a few left over so that afternoon Hubby took Dudette to the park to feed the geese. She saw the pancakes in a bag and expressed tremendous concern that the geese wouldn't like the pancakes without syrup. I could have made life difficult for him by agreeing with her and suggesting he bring some along, but in general I'm not that mean.

Christmas is going to be here before we know it. For our little family it means so much more than celebrating the birth of Christ. On December 1, 2006 we landed in Yerevan, Armenia to finalize the process of bringing our daughter Sophie (Dudette) home from the orphanage in which she'd spent the first six months of her life.
On the morning of December 2, we went to the orphanage to pick her up and introductions were made and we began life as a family in a small apartment in the center of Armenia's capital city, hoping to be back home by New Year's but enjoying the concentrated bonding time while we had it. In between learning about spit-up, how to feed a baby, change a diaper and all those other wonderful things, we were meeting with officials, signing papers and waiting anxiously for the time to pass during which Sophie's birth mother could have changed her mind.
On December 20, 2006 we received the adoption certificate that secured Sophie as our daughter forever. Even though she'd been ours in our hearts since mid June when we received the referral for this little lady from our adoption agency.
We made it back to the United States on December 30, so to celebrate Christmas with our family, we dressed Dudette up and sent an online Christmas greeting on the 25th. We spent Christmas day celebrating with another family that had come together during the same time as us.

All that to say, we feel strongly about helping families come together. Because of that, we created a non-profit organization called Sophie's Foundation. It provides funds to families that are adopting with certified agencies. If you're looking for a place to which your family can make a donation during the holiday season, consider donating to Sophie's Foundation and help families come together this Christmas.

This week, at least of portion of every dish was wonderful. So, this time I conferred with Hubby and he said that hands down his choice for the week was the Turkey and Corn Quesadillas with Guacamole.  That being said, close runners-up included the 5-Spice Salmon (take or leave the green beans) and the Seared Rib-Eye Cutlets (definitely forget the spinach).

I know, I know. My quick takes aren't quick enough. I promise to work on that.